Starting and stopping mechanism for circular looms



Aug. 31, 1937. w, L 2,091,333

STARTING AND STOPPING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR LOOMS F iled May s, 1936 WIH IA POOL N E TOP 7 2fiomwzrs Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STARTING AND STOPPING MECHANISM FOR, CIRCULAR LOOMS Application May 8, 1936, Serial No. 78,651

In Great Britain May 20, 1935 8 Claims.

This invention relates to starting and stopping mechanism of circular looms.

U. S. Patent No. 2,027,459 for example, describes a circular loom in which feelers carried by the shuttles serve to detect jamming of the warps resulting from such causes as warp breakage or defective shedding, and operate electric contacts so as to actuate stop mechanism by means of which relative motion between the shuttles and the warps is caused to cease. Thus, in a loom in which the shuttles rotate about the axis of the loom, electric switches disposed adjacent to each shuttle may be connected in series so that opening of any one of the switches by means of the corresponding Warp feeler breaks the circuit of an electro-magnet or solenoid serving to hold out of action a brake band surrounding a rotatable ring carrying the shuttles, and also to out out the driving motor. The shuttles are brought to rest as soon as the brake band can overcome the inertia of the moving parts of the machine.

The mechanism according to the invention, which will be described in connection with the 25 type of loom and stopping and starting mechanism just referred to, includes an electro-magnetically controlled clutch in the machine drive and a switch in the magnet circuit adapted upon being operated to bring about disengagement of 30 the clutch and the simultaneous application of the brake. More especially, the invention includes the provision of electro-magnets or solenoids for controlling both the clutch and the brake, said electro-magnets or solenoids being 35 connected in series, and a single switch in the series circuit for simultaneously operating the clutch and the brake. For simplicity these electro-magnetic devices will hereafter be referred to as magnets.

40 The brake band magnet operates in conjunction with a keeper mounted upon a lever fulcrumed on the frame of the machine and pivotally connected to one end of the brake band. A strong spring connected to the lever between its 5 pivot and the keeper acts in such a direction as to tend to contract the brake band upon the rotatable shuttle-supporting ring. This tendency during running of the loom is overcome by the magnet, but when the magnet circuit is 50 broken, the spring is released to apply the brake.

The second magnet is mounted on the free end of the clutch-controlling lever and serves with its keeper as an electric link between the clutch-controlling lever and the starting lever of 55 the machine. The breaking of the magnet circuit severs this electric link to permit the clutch to be released. Conveniently, the keeper of the magnet is mounted on the end of a lever secured to a shaft provided with a further lever in connection. with the. starting handle. 5

Advantageously the starting handle is arranged so as to enable the brake band to be released by a movement of the handle in one direction, which movement restores both brake and clutch magnets to operative position, and the clutch to be 0 put into operation by a movement of the handle in the opposite direction. By these means the brake must be disengaged before the clutch can be reengaged to start the loom.

Means are preferably included in the connec- 15 tion between the starting handle and the clutchcontrolling magnet to allow the clutch to be applied gradually.

A form of mechanism according to the invention will now be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of one side of a circular loom with rotating shuttles;

Fig.2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the loom;

Fig. 3 is a plan View to a larger scale of the starting handle and associated mechanism; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of the con trol mechanism and its electrical connections.

Referring to Fig. l, warps l are led from beams 2 over rollers 3 and past shedding mechanism 4 to the shuttles 5, which are positioned by means of vane wheels 6 penetrating the sheet of warps at the outside of each shuttle so as to engage the shuttle body while permitting free passage of the warps in that sheet. The shuttles 5 are carried by a rotatable ring 1 mounted within a stationary ring member 8 secured to the loom frame 9.

A gear IE! carried by the shuttle-supporting ring I is driven by means of a pinion II at the upper end of a vertical shaft I2 connected by means of a gear-box H! with a friction clutch l4, IS, the belt pulley M of which is driven from any suitable source of power, e. g. an electric motor (not shown).

The movable side M of the clutch is controlled by a lever H5 having pivoted to its free end an electro-magnet ll. The keeper 18 of the magnet is pivoted on a single armed lever l9 carried by the lower end of a vertical shaft 28, at the upper end of which is secured a further single armed lever 2| having pivoted thereto a collar 22 slidable on a rod 23 connected to one end of a starting lever 24 horizontally disposed below the frame ring 8 of the machine and pivoted at 25.

" arranged in series.

The fixed but adjustable collars 26 are secured to the rod 23 on each side of the slidable collar 22, springs 27, 28 being interposed between the two pairs of collars so that the starting handle 24 can only operate the shaft 2i] controlling the clutch lever 16 through the intermediary of the springs.

Adjacent the starting handle 24 is a lever 29, pivoted at 38, the inner end 3! of which is connected to the free end of a brake band 32 surrounding the shuttle-supporting ring 7. Towards the outer end of the lever 29 is pivoted the keeper 33 of an electro-magnet 34 secured to the underside of the frame ring 8. A projection 35 on the keeper lever 29 lies in the path of the starting lever 2H when the latter is moved to the left so that a movement of the lever in this direction brings the keeper 33 into proximity to the magnet 3 while overcoming the action of a spring 38 connected to the lever 29 and tending to apply the brake band 32.

The magnets H and 34 are connected in series as shown in Fig. 4 in a circuit including sliprings 3?, which are connected to switches 38 carried on the ring l at the rear of each shuttle and So long, therefore, as the switches 38 remain closed, the magnets ll, 3% hold their keepers i8, 33, holding the brake 32 away from the shuttle-supporting ring 1 against the pull of the spring 36, and the clutch members M, IS in contact against the pull of the spring 39 connected to the clutch lever iii.

The switches 38 are so positioned as to be perated by stop-mechanism disposed in the shuttles 5. For instance, a feeler 4B mounted at the nose of each shuttle detects jammed warps, resulting say from a broken warp thread, and propels rearwardly a rod M, causing the rod to penetrate the sheet of warps at the outside of that particular shuttle and to engage the movable member d2 of the corresponding switch 38.

The switch circuit is then broken, and the electro-magnets each release their keepers, allowing the spring 39 to release the clutch l4, l5, and the spring 355 to apply the brake 32 to the ring 1. The release of the clutch l4, It: leaves the brake 32 to bring to rest only the rotating elements of the loom proper, so that weaving is rapidly brought to an end. In this way, the risk of damage to the jammed warps by the shuttles is materially lessened. When the fault has been remedied the loom is again set in motion by means of the starting handle 24. The arrangement described above is specially arranged to ensure that the brake 32 must be released before the clutch M, i5 can be re-engaged. The starting operation is performed as follows:-

The starting handle 24 is moved to the left and by its engagement with the projection 35 on the lever 29 carries the keeper 33 into engagement with the brake-controlling magnet 34 and at the same time withdraws the brake band 32 from contact with the shuttle supporting ring ll. At the same time the rod 23 is moved to the right, rotating the shaft anticlockwise by means of the lever 2! and so causing the lever 19 to bring the keeper i8 into contact with the clutch magnet l'i. The spring 2i interposed at the left hand side of the collar 22 on the rod 23 allows both of the keepers 33 and E8 to make proper contact with their respective magnets 34 and H. The switch having previously been closed by the operative, the circuit from the electro-magnets is completed, and the keepers are held against their magnets. Thus the brake 32 is held disengaged,

and the electric link afforded by the magnet l1 and its keeper I8 is re-made.

The handle 24 is then moved to the right, rotating the shaft 20 clockwise, causing the lever 59 to pull the magnet ii and to carry with it the clutch lever iii, overcoming the pull of the spring 39 to re-engage the clutch I4, I 5. The spring 28 interposed between the collar 22 and the right hand collar 26 on the rod 23 allows the re-clutching to be effected gradually. The handle 2-4 is held in its right hand position by means of a notch 8 mounted on the under side of the ring 8. The end 43 of the brake band 32 opposite to that connected at 3! to the lever 29 is secured to the ring 8 as shown at the top of the left hand side of Fig. 3.

Having described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A circular loom comprising shuttles and warps between which relative motion can be set up with respect to the loom axis, driving means for producing such motion, an electro-magnetically controlled clutch interposed between the driving means and the driven part, an electromagnetically controlled brake for stopping the circular motion, a switch in the magnet circuit and adapted on being operated to bring about disengagement of the clutch and the simultaneous application of the brake, and means for rendering the electro-magnet control of the clutch ineifective for engagement of the clutch while the brake is in the applied position.

2. A circular loom comprising shuttles and warps between which relative motion can be set up with respect to the loom axis, driving means for producing such motion, a clutch interposed between. the driving means and the driven part, means including an electro-magnet for controlling the clutch, said electro-magnet forming an electric link capable of being severed to disengage the clutch and restored to permit of engagement of the clutch, an electro-magnetically controlled brake for stopping the circular motion, a switch in the magnet circuit and adapted on being operated to bring about severance of the electric link and the simultaneous application of the brake, and means for preventing the restoration of the electric link while the brake is in the applied position.

3. A circular loom comprising driving means, a clutch adapted when engaged to render the driving means operative, a clutch-operating lever, a spring connected to said lever and tending to disengage the clutch, a manually-operable lever, an

electro-magnet and keeper connected respectively lever, and the circuit when broken releasing the clutch-operating lever to permit the spring to disengage the clutch.

4. A circular loom comprising shuttles and warps between which relative circular motion can be set up with respect to the loom axis, driving means for producing such motion, a clutch interposed between the driving means and the driven part, a brake for stopping the circular motion, electro-magnets adapted to control the clutch and the brake, a stop motion circuit in which the electro-magnets are connected in series to disengage the clutch and simultaneously to engage the brake, a lever movable in one direction to bring the magnets and their keepers into contact, and connecting means operable through the clutch-controlling magnet to permit the lever by a subsequent movement in the opposite direction to cause the clutch to become i e-engaged.

5. A circular loom comprising shuttles and warps between which relative circular motion can be set up with respect to the loom axis, driving means for producing such motion, a clutch interposed between the driving means and the driven part, a brake for stopping the circular motion, an electro-magnet serving to hold the brake disengaged, a lever, a second electro-magnet providing a connection between the lever and the clutch, means for holding the lever in clutchengaged position, and a stop-motion circuit in which the electro-magnets are connected in series to disengage the clutch and simultaneously to engage the brake,

6. A circular 100m according to claim 5, comprising a lever connecting the first electro-magnet and the brake, and means connecting said lever with the clutch-engaging lever to enable the latter also to disengage the brake and restore the electro-magnet to brake-disengaged position.

'7. A circular loom according to claim 5, comprising means for ensuring gradual engagement of the clutch.

8. A circular loom comprising shuttles and warps between which relative motion can be set up with respect to the loom axis, driving means for producing such motion, a clutch interposed between the driving means and the driven part, means including an electro-magnet for controlling the clutch, said electro-magnet forming an electric link capable of being severed to disengage the clutch and restored to permit of engagement of the clutch, a brake for stopping the circular motion, an electro-magnet adapted to hold the brake disengaged, a switch in the magnet circuit and adapted on being operated to bring about severance of the electric link and the simultaneous application of the brake, and a lever adapted on being moved in one direction to disenage the brake and both to set the brake-controlling magnet and restore the electric link, and in the other direction to engage the clutch through the link thus restored.

WILLIAM POOL. 

